Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Republican national convention short on volunteers

The Republicans sharply picked St. Paul, the Minnesota state capital, for their 2008 national convention. The strategy was simple: Minnesota is an important Midwestern swing state which has been trending red over the last few election cycles. The Republicans rewarded Minnesota with their convention in hopes that it would tip the state to the red in 2008.

But in a sign that things may not be going red in 2008, and with the convention a little over two months away, Republican coordinators have been hampered lack of local volunteers. A plea has gone up, led by St. Paul mayor Chris Coleman and Minneapolis mayor R.T. Rybak, asking for more people to sign up.

"This is not about being partisan; it's about putting our [Minnesota's]best foot forward," said Teresa McFarland, a spokeswoman for the 2008 Republican National Convention. "It's been 116 years since we havehad a convention here and this is a chance to be a part of history."

It sounds to me like Minnesota may be on its way to making history if this keeps up. And, for me, it's about being partisan.